2000
#22,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Elsayed
An Arabic surname meaning "the master" or "the lord".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,176 Americans carry the last name Elsayed. That puts it at #10,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elsayed surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Elsayed with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,920
Census rank
#10,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,770 bearers of the surname Elsayed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elsayed, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elsayed
The surname ELSAYED has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic title "El Sayed" or "Al Sayyid," meaning "the master" or "the lord." This title was historically bestowed upon descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his grandsons Hassan and Hussain.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname ELSAYED can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic era in the Arabian Peninsula. As Islam spread across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond, families carrying this surname migrated to various regions, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and other parts of the Levant.
In Egypt, the ELSAYED surname has a particularly notable history. It is associated with families claiming descent from the Prophet Muhammad, and many prominent figures in Egyptian history bore this surname. One such example is Sayyed Abdullah El-Sayed, a renowned Egyptian writer and intellectual who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (1856-1936).
Another notable figure with the ELSAYED surname was Sayyed Ahmed El-Sayed, a prominent Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Egypt from 1949 to 1952. He played a significant role in Egypt's transition towards independence from British colonial rule.
In the realm of literature, Tawfiq El-Sayed (1892-1964) was a celebrated Egyptian novelist and playwright known for his works that explored Egyptian society and culture during the early 20th century.
The ELSAYED surname has also been prominent in the field of religion and scholarship. Sayyed Qutb (1906-1966), an influential Egyptian author and Islamic theorist, is considered one of the leading figures in the 20th-century revivalist movement in Islam.
Another notable figure is Sayyed Abdel-Rahman El-Sayed (1904-1999), an Egyptian Islamic scholar and historian who made significant contributions to the study of Islamic civilization and the history of the Arab world.
While the surname ELSAYED originated in the Arab world, it has since spread to various parts of the globe due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Arabic-speaking regions, particularly the Middle East and North Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elsayed
Among Census respondents with the surname Elsayed, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Elsayed bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Elsayed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 2,392
- Black or African American6.1% · 168
- Two or more races3.5% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elsayed
Elsayed appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,695
+651 bearers (+62.4%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 6,052 places
2020
#10,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,770
+1,075 bearers (+63.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 5,863 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,891 | 1,044 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,839 | 1,695 | 0.57 | +651 bearers (+62.4%) | Up 6,052 places |
| 2020 | #10,976 | 2,770 | 0.93 | +1,075 bearers (+63.4%) | Up 5,863 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Elsayed surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,839 | #10,976 | 34.8% |
| Count | 1,695 | 2,770 | 63.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.93 | 62.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elsayed bearers went from 1,695 to 2,770 (+63.4% change). The surname moved up 5,863 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,839 to #10,976.
FAQ
Elsayed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elsayed?
Name Census estimates that about 3,176 living Americans carry the surname Elsayed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,920 residents.
How common is Elsayed?
Elsayed ranks #10,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,770 people with the surname Elsayed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Elsayed.
Has Elsayed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elsayed went from 1,695 recorded bearers to 2,770. That is an increase of 1,075 (+63.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,839 to #10,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Elsayed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elsayed, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Elsayed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (2,392 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elsayed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Elsayed (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Elsayed mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "the master" or "the lord". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Elsayed (0.93 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Elsayed?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Elsayed is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.